Whisper of the Sun
by shirosagi
Summary: A personal mission bring Aisling 'Ashe' Walker to Mystic Falls. She is on the hunt for someone, but she doesn't know who she is hunting, only that she must be in Mystic Falls. Ashe soon finds herself wrapped into the hectic, but secret, supernatural life in Mystic Fall, and she ends up finding the one thing she never expected to find there.
1. Arrival

**Finally! It's finished and I can post. I am so excited to be starting this series. I wanted to write a OC fic for a while. I had even planned on starting it before my Teen Wolf story, but switched gears and began working on my Teen Wolf story. I really hope that you enjoy this chapter. I had the first bit sitting in my writing folder for a while, and so over the last few days I've managed to finish it up. **

**I'm probably going to be doing the multiple alternating POV within a single chapter for the whole story. If you have any other suggestions of a different format, let me know; I'm always open to suggestions. **

**I hope this is to everyone's liking, and I look forward to hearing from you and to see what you thought of it. As always, please leave any comments or critiques and let me know what worked or didn't work. **

**Enjoy~ xoxo**

* * *

**[Elena's POV]**

"Originally discovered over five centuries ago, though it hasn't been over Mystic Falls in a hundred and forty five years," Mr. Tanner drowned on, though I didn't hear much of what he was actually saying. I was wrapped up in the eyes of Stefan, the new guy in school. I had that feeling you get when you've met someone you instantly have an attraction to. "Now the comet will be its brightest right after dusk during tomorrow's celebration... Are we interrupting you, Mr. Salvatore, Miss. Gilbert?"

I looked up at Mr. Tanner, feeling like I had been caught with my hand in the cookie jar, everyone had turned to look at Stefan and myself. I shook my head in response; I could feel my cheeks becoming flushed. I was not being subtle in my eye-flirting with Stefan, so I made a note to myself to try to be more discreet.

Mr. Tanner continued on with his explanation of the upcoming comet that was about to shoot over Mystic Falls tonight, and I tried my hardest to keep my eyes away from Stefan but I was so drawn to him. I was losing my focus, getting wrapped into his gaze, and then suddenly I snapped out of my enthrallment when the door to the class room flew open. For a moment it seemed as if the door opened on its own as there was no one standing there. Then a small brunette popped around the corner.

"Sorry, I guess I don't know my own strength..." She said meekly.

"Ah, Miss. Walker, we were expecting you. Glad you could make it today." Mr. Tanner said as the girl entered the room and shut the door behind her.

"I got a little lost." She said, and tucked some hair behind her ear.

"I'll let that pass for today. There's a free seat in the back, please sit down. Now where was I?" Mr. Tanner ordered.

I watched the new girl as she quietly and quickly went to the free seat at the back of the room. It wasn't often that there were many new students in Mystic Falls, and to have two in the same year was unusual. As the girl walked past me I got a good look at her face. The girl didn't look like she could be any more than sixteen, a year younger than everyone in the class; she looked closer to being my brother's age than the students in this class.

The girl was small, shorter than I was, and had a petite frame. Her brown hair was long and curly, though not a natural curl but the kind done by a curling iron. She had on thin Rayban style glasses, which were a tad too big for her round face. I wasn't sure but I thought I saw hazel colored eyes. Her clothing style was simpler; she didn't have Caroline style clothing, but stylish none-the-less. From her outward appearance I would guess that the girl was more of an introvert.

After sitting down, the girl looked around the room, and we ended up making eye contact before I could think to turn away. She flashed a timid smile, and I returned it to be polite.

"Miss Gilbert, eyes forward." Mr. Tanner barked.

"Sorry," I said as I turned around. I quickly glanced at Stefan, who gave me a questioning look. I shrugged in reply. New girl was new to me too, and I had lived here all my life so I knew most people in this class. I wondered if we'd have any other classes together.

After the bell rang I walked towards my next class with Stefan. We had almost all the same classes, so we often walked together. "How many new students do you usually have in one school year?" Stefan asked.

"Not many. I'm actually surprised that there are two of you in the same year...":

"Well... Brought it, told you..." Stefan pulled out a worn old book and handed it to me, dismissing our topic of new students.

"Wuthering Heights by Ellis Bell... You know, I can't believe she didn't use her real name." I said as I looked over the delicate book that I held in my hands.

"All the Bronte sisters used pseudonyms, it was the times," Stefan said, "Female writers weren't very accepted then."

I looked over the book again before handing it back to him, "Where did you get it?"

Stefan looked a little taken-a-back when I asked him that, but quickly answered, "Uh... It was passed down through the family... I have lots of books like this. Here. Go ahead." He said and handed the book back to me.

"Oh, no... But... I would like to read it again..." I said and looked up at him with a devilish grin on my face. "I promise to give it back."

Stefan nodded with a smile, "Okay..."

We chatted while we walked, and quickly reached our next class. I was about to enter the classroom with Stefan when I caught sight of the new girl coming down the hall, and looking lost. "Uh, I'll catch up in a moment. Save me a seat?" I asked Stefan.

He nodded, headed inside the classroom, and I walked towards the girl. "Hi..." I said as I tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to jump.

"Ah!"

"Sorry, about that..." I apologized.

"Oh, you sacred me. I'm usually not very aware of surroundings. Even sometimes I would hear my mom come up the stairs and then in those few seconds it took to get to my room, I'd forget she was coming and end up startled when she walked into my room..." She said really fast. I nodded as I struggled to follow.

"I'm Elena, we just had last period together, or well what little you actually had of it."

"Hi, I'm Aisling, but most people just call me Ashe," She said and stuck out her hand. I cautiously shook it and smiled.

"It's nice to meet you. Are you lost again? Could I help you find your next class?" I asked.

"Sure, that would be a great help. I'm not very good at remembering where I've been. I have a poor sense of direction which I say is from my mom dancing around in circles with me when I was a baby." She explained as she handed me her class schedule.

I looked over the paper and looked at the class she had listed for this period, "Oh, you're in this classroom with me. You were almost at the correct class." I handed the paper back to her.

"Thanks. I guess we'd better get in there. I don't want to be late for another class, especially one I actually know where it actually is."

"Good Idea," I said and followed behind Aisling as she walked into the classroom. I quickly found my seat beside Stefan. I glanced around to find where Aisling had ended up and found her in the back most corner of the room, near the window. It was almost a cliché spot for her to be, the new student stuck in the back of the class.

"That was nice of you to help the new girl." Stefan said.

A smile quickly appeared on my face, "Thanks... There's something interesting about her..." I turned back to look at Aisling and saw that she was staring out the large windows, and looked to be lost in thought.

"There is..." Stefan agreed.

I wondered what it was about this girl, but I wanted to find out more about her.

**[Aisling's POV]**

Even though Mystic Falls was a small place to live, the high school was huge. It seemed to be one big maze and I was the _maze runner._ I finally found my class and without thinking, whipped the door opened; that was a way to make an entrance on your first day. I hadn't been too pleased with my class schedule, I wanted an easy semester, but they didn't have many openings which resulted in me taking multiple history classes and an extra English literature class.

Thankfully I had help with finding a couple of my classes. One of the girls, Elena, was sweet and helped me out. Now, finally, the day was over and I could head home; the rest of my things needed to be unpacked. As I walked through the crowded halls almost everyone stopped to watch me walk past. I was starting to get a little insecure; maybe I had something on my face?

I pushed open a pair of doors and exited into the warmth of an early September day that had yet to lose the August heat. I had still had to figure out which bus I needed to take, so I was left with only my feet to take me home. I headed for the front of the building, having exited to the right side of the school. Even outside more people stopped to gawk at me. I was feeling uncomfortable, so I tilted my head down a bit and tried to ignore the whispers floating around me.

"You keep saying that but when are you going to actually do it. Because I say right here, right now!"

I heard raised voices as I passed a group, and I stopped to watch. The two guys didn't seem to be getting along, and one, the taller one, seemed like he was really eager for a fight. I could just picture what could happen, but why wasn't anyone stopping these two. I checked out the girls sanding around the two guys but neither of them seemed willing to break up this fight. Without a second though I ran over to the two and stepped between them, gaining looks from both and other girls were just standing around gawking.

"Argument's don't always need to end in raised fist and bloody noses," I said while trying to push the two apart.

"Walk away Gilbert, it's your final warning," said the guy on my right. Other than a quick glance he ignored me.

"No this is your final warning, dick."

"Whoa, with the name calling..." I said sarcastically. The taller one seemed tougher, hell he was wearing black nail polish, but that was the best word he could come up with?

"I'm sick of watching you play Vicki. If you hurt her one more time, I swear to god I will kill you. "Continued tall-y before turning around and walking away.

"Damn, that was like a death threat... Did you hear that?" the shorter one said, and then turned back to me, "And who are you?"

"Aisling... and I'll be going now." I said and picked up the textbook I dropped before stepping between the two.

"Ah, the other new kid that everyone is talking about," he said while nonchalantly checking me out, "Well next time, mind your own business. I don't need some _**chick**_, defending me against little Jeremy Gilbert."

Before I reacted, I hated words like 'chick'; I took a deep breath but decided against being calm. In a quick, fluid motion, after shifting my textbooks to one arm, I turned around from the way I was facing and threw my fist into the dick standing in front of me. I threw all of my weight into the punch and watched as the guy staggered slightly, caught unexpectedly by my reaction.

"What the fuck was that for?" he squawked.

"Don't ever call me a 'chick' again." I replied and promptly walked away.

The outside of the school was easier to navigate and I found the way I needed to go. I was fuming with rage; I really disliked derogatory words for any gender. I had my head down, not watching where I was going, and bumped into someone. My textbooks that were in my arms went flying across the lawn and I fell flat onto my face. "I'm so sorry," I called out as I scrambled to get up.

"Aisling?"

I looked up and saw Elena standing over me with a blonde haired guy at her side. I flashed a smile that screamed embarrassment and stood up, dusting off myself in the process, "Oh, Elena. I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Don't worry about it," She said, while the guy went to grab my textbook, "Aisling, this is Matt Donovan."

"Hi! I'm Aisling, Aisling Walker. I think we have a couple of classes together..." I said and tucked some stray hairs behind my ear. He flashed a welcoming smile but didn't say anything.

"Before we bumped into each other, you were muttering something," she said, "You seemed really pissed about something."

"Oh, well. It's nothing really. Just some guy running his mouth." I started to explain, "I attempted to stop two guys, one of them was a Gilbert or some-"

"Jeremy Gilbert?" Elena asked.

"Yeah, that's it. You know him?"

"Yeah, I do. He's my brother. What happened?" she asked.

"I didn't catch a lot of their conversation, I got there just as they were about to attack each other. They were arguing about one guy playing some girl name Vicki?" I further explained

"Vicki's my sister," Matt answered, "and the guy must be Tyler"

"I guess so. Dude needs to learn how to talk to girls better." I said with a disgruntled huff at the end.

"Tyler doesn't really have a brain to mouth filter..." Elena commented.

"Tyler's a great guy. You don't even know him. Don't judge him on one thing." Matt said, becoming irritated.

"Whoa; calm down." I said and raised my hands in defense, "I just didn't like the way he was talking to me."

"It's okay Matt; we all know that Tyler can be a jerk at times... Aisling just found out soon than most would." Elena said, clearly trying to diffuse the situation.

"Hey, Elena; thanks for your help finding classes today, but I got to go. I'll see you in class tomorrow." I turned away from Elena and Matt, and took off. I hated when I did that, throw up my walls around people. I never use to be a person like that, until...

**[Elena's POV]**

I watched as Aisling's tiny figure retreated away from Matt and me. I chewed on my bottom lip before turning to face Matt, who was giving me the look that said 'I know, I screwed up'. I shook my head, "Yeah you did. She's new here, give her a break."

Matt rubbed at the back of his neck, "I didn't mean to come across as a total jerk, but just the way she was talking about Tyler. It didn't sit well with me."

"I know, but you didn't need to snap at her like that. Aisling had a difficult day, she barely found her way to her classes and then you go and yell at her for voicing an opinion about Tyler that, quite frankly, a lot of people have."

"When you put it that way..."

I smiled up at him, "I knew you'd come around. How's Vicki?"

"They're keeping her overnight to make sure there's no infection, but she should be able to come home tomorrow," Matt answered.

"That's good news."

He nodded, "Yeah."

"Did you get in touch with your mom?" I knew that Matt's mom wasn't around a lot but I had hoped that she'd come home to help take care of Vicki. It was easy to tell that Matt was struggling and could use his moms support, even if she didn't do much at all other than just be there with him.

"Called and left a message. She's in Virginia Beach with her boyfriend, so we'll see how long it takes her to come rushing home."

A half smile, half frown formed on my lips, "Vickie's lucky that she's ok.

Matt nodded, "I know, and now there's talk of some missing campers."

"Did she say what kind of animal it was that attacked her?" I asked.

Matt chuckled, "Yeah. She said it was a vampire."

"What?"

"Yeah, she wakes up last night and mutters "vampire" and then passes out."

"Ok, that is weird." I said nodding. Vampires, yeah right.

"I think she was drunk... So what's up with you and the new guy?"

I took a deep breath, sighed before chewing on my bottom lip. "Matt, the last thing that I want to do is hurt you."

A flash of pain showed on Matt's face. Even though I was trying to spare his feelings, they were still hurt. I hated how he was feeling, and how I was affecting him. I wished that there was some way that I could make everything okay.

"You know, I'm actually gonna go back to the hospital. I want to be there when Vickie wakes up, get the real story about last night," Matt said, making an excuse. He then promptly turned and walked off.

I threw up my arms in exasperation before walking off myself. I checked my watch to see what time it was. I swore under my breath as I realized what time I was and that I was late for coffee with Bonnie and Caroline. I hiked up my backpack and started my trek to The Grill.

I turned the corner and right away saw Bonnie and Caroline sitting down at one of the black metal tables. I hurried over and slid into the empty seat. "Hey guys. I'm sorry I'm late!"

"You're excused this time," Caroline sassed, "Bonnie was just starting to tell me something about her conversation with her Grams."

I nodded, eyes wide, "Oh really?"

"Well, I was talking to grams, and she said the comet is a sign of impending doom," Said dramatically, "The last time it passed over Mystic Falls, there was lots of death. So much blood and carnage, it created a bed of paranormal activity."

Caroline rolled her eyes, "Yeah, and then you poured grams another shot and she told you about the aliens."

I shook my head at Caroline, and then turned to face Bonnie who had a smirk on her face. "What?" I asked.

"So what happened with Stefan last night?" She asked.

"I asked him to come over, we hung out and talked... the whole night." I let out a nervous laugh as I pushed back a piece of stray hair. My eyes darted between Bonnie and Caroline, waiting for their reactions.

Caroline smiled and waved her hands excitedly, "So then what?"

I shrugged, "So then nothing."

She tilted to the down and looked up at me. "You and Stefan talked all night? There was no sloppy first kiss or touchy feely of any kind?"

I shook my head, "Nope. We didn't go there."

"Not even a handshake?" Caroline pleaded, "I mean, Elena, we are your friends."

I frowned and pulled my brows together, "Okay?"

"You are supposed to share the smut," she answered bluntly in the regular Caroline fashion.

"We just talked for hours." I looked at Bonnie for help to only receive a shrug back.

"Ok, what is with the blockage? Just jump his bones already! Ok, it's easy. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, sex."

"Profound." I picked up one of the flyers that I was supposed to be folding and absentmindedly ran my finger over the crease. "Hey, have either of you met the new girl."

Bonnie and Caroline shook their heads. "Nope," they said in unison.

"I talked to her a little today, she seems... I don't know. Interesting?"

"How?" Bonnie asked.

"She seems young but she was in all my classes and there was something else about her. Something mysterious?"

"Mysterious?" Caroline teased, "I thought that adjective was reserved for Stefan."

"You know what I mean," I tossed back, "But I swear she's younger than us."

"Maybe she skipped a grade? She could be this super smart genius..." Bonnie offered.

"Possible. Should I invite her to the comet festival tonight? She's new and I don't think she knows about it."

Caroline flashed me a big smile. "Elena Gilbert, the befriender of the new students. First Stefan, and now this new girl... What was her name again?"

"Aisling Walker."

"Now Aisling Walker. You cease to amaze me Elena."

I smiled and rolled my eyes before pushing away from the table and standing up. "Where are you going?" Caroline asked.

"To invite Aisling to the comet festival. And Caroline's right."

"I am? About what?"

"It is easy, I'm going to talk to Stefan. If I sit here long enough, I'll end up talking myself out of it instead of doing what I started the day saying I was going to do." I smiled and waved at my friends, then grabbed my purse and walked away. First I needed to find out where Aisling actually lived.

**[Aisling's POV]**

I headed straight home to the tiny apartment that I managed to find. It wasn't much but it was the only place that I had found that would rent a room to a teenager. "Hello..." I called out to the empty dwelling, a habit that I couldn't quit, and kicked off my shoes; not caring where they landed.

As I placed the keys on the little table by the door, I touched the glass of the photo frame sitting on top. The face staring back at me was kind and gentle, and immediately the usual grip of sadness closed around my heart. I missed her, but I had to move on; nothing would get done if I didn't focus on what I had set out to do. I pushed the sadness away, forcing myself to ignore it.

I walked into the sparsely furnished living room and placed my bag and coat on a stuffed chair. I padded bare foot into the kitchen to grab a drink. I opened the refrigerator door and at the same time a knock came at the door. I paused and waited, it didn't happen again. I grabbed a bottle of water and turned back towards the living room. The knock came again. 'Ugh," I said as turned once again and walked to the front door.

With my hand on the knob, I turned it and pulled. "What!" I barked before I saw who was standing at the door. Looking straight at me was Elena. A hundred things raced through my mind before she gave me a friendly wave.

"Sorry to show up out of the blue, but you took off so quickly..."

"Ah, I'm sorry about that. Please come inside..." I said and stepped aside so that Elena could enter. We walked in silence into the living room. I quickly moved my bag and jacket to make a spot for Elena to sit down. As she sat down, Elena looked around.

"My mom and I haven't unpacked much..." I explained.

"Does your mom work in town?" Elena asked.

I shook my head, "No, she actually works in the next town over..." That was a lie.

"Oh, and I swear I didn't follow you. I got your address from the office. I told them I had to deliver some homework."

"But that's not really why you're here right? I don't think I missed anything," I said with a laugh at the end. I was thankful that Elena changed the topic herself, I didn't want to try explaining my situation or past.

Elena shook her head, "No. I just wanted to apologize for Matt. He's having a rough patch right now since his sister's in the hospital."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that."

"Yeah, she was attacked by something just recently. Anyways, what I came here to ask is that, tonight there's a little gathering for this comet that's passing by, it hasn't been around for a while, and I wanted to see if you were interested in coming?"

I pulled in my bottom lip, "Uh..."

"I thought maybe then you could meet my friends?" A weak smile formed on her lips, her eyes pleading for me to agree. "I wanted to make it up to you..."

I sighed but nodded, "I'll come."

"Great!" She enthusiastically exclaimed, "I'll text you to when to be there."

Elena and I chatted for a few more minutes before she excused herself and left. Once I closed the front door, I leaned against it and let out a sigh of relief. I had successfully diverted any and all questions about me. I was safe for now. Pushing off the door I headed for my small bedroom, and once inside I flopped face-down onto my fluffy mattress. I rested my head against my pillow and soon sleep washed over me.

I was jolted away by the sound of my phone buzzing. I shot up off the bed and scrambled to my bag. After locating my phone, which was actually in my jacket pocket, I saw that I had missed a new text message. I read the call display to see who it was from - Elena.

_'Hey, it's Elena._

_We'll be heading to the town square in about half an hour._

_Meet me there?"_

I clicked my phone off, threw it against my pillow and rolled onto my back. I let out a whole body sigh. I guess I should go out. I glanced over at the window. The blinds were closed but I could tell that it was still light out. I pushed myself up and off the bed and moved around my room, changing out of my grimy school close and something a little more comfortable; a simple red blouse styled shirt, a pair of dark wash jeans and a clean pair of black flats.

I walked into the living room and towards the fire place. I grabbed the box of matches and pulled out one, striking it. I threw the lit match into the open fire pit and watched it be engulfed in flames. I knelt down in front of it and raised me hands. The warmth from the flames sent tingles up my hands as I started to recite a spell. I was doing a spell to hopefully tell me if I was on the right path to finding who I was looking for. A few minutes passed but nothing happened. I dropped my hands, placing them firm on the ground. "Ugh!" I exclaimed before pushing myself up.

"Nothing. Great. Why am I here if nothing is happening!" I said loudly to myself, "Do I even go if nothing is going to come from tonight?"

Shortly thereafter I left my apartment, purse and phone in hand, and headed towards the square where they were holding the Comet viewing. As I got closer to the party the crowed started to get thicker, causing me to bump into multiple people. I gave them my apologies and continued onwards. Then I bumped into another guy, this time they weren't as nice about it.

"Hey, watch it..."

I threw up my hands in defense. "Look I'm sorry-Hey! Aren't you the guy from earlier?"

"Excuse me?"

"I broke your fight up with... I forget his name, but you! Your Elena Gilbert's brother... What's your name again?"

"Uh huh... It's. Jeremy. And you are?" He asked.

"Aisling. Aisling Walker."

He nodded his head, "Okay cool. See ya."

I frowned as Jeremy walked away. That was a super friendly encounter. I ran my hand down my face and took a deep breath, and letting out thought a long and dramatic exhale. I continued on my way and kept an eye out for Elena. I moved through the crowd more cautiously this time. I caught sight of Elena and another girl walking down the park path and handing out some papers. I lightly jogged over to them. "Hey!" I called out and waved.

"Aisling, hey. Bonnie, this is Aisling. Aisling this is Bonnie Bennett, my best friend."

I waved again, "Hi, nice to meet you. And thanks for inviting me Elena."

"You're welcome. Here take a program!" She handed me one of the papers from her hand.

I took it and quickly grazed over it. "Oh, Elena! I saw your brother again."

"And?" She asked while handing more programs out.

"He didn't seem to friendly. I bumped into him and tried to introduce myself and he just left."

"He's... going through some things right now. I'm sure he'll be better next time."

"So Aisling, Elena says that you just moved here. Tell me a bit about yourself," Bonnie asked.

"Um, well there isn't much really." I answered.

"There has to be something," Elena pushed.

"Okay. Well I moved here from New York. I am sixteen-"

"Sixteen?" The two girls said together.

Elena pointed at me. "I thought so. You're actually the same age as my brother."

"How are you in the same classes as Elena?" Bonnie asked, "Did you skip a grade?"

I nodded, "Yes I did. My mom was, is, really big on learning. She was a teacher, and so she started teaching me how to read and write at a young age. She also taught me a lot about history and science, so I had a head start on all the kids. I skipped right over kindergarten and right into grade 1."

"So you're really smart?"

I could feel a blush coming on. "kinda." I answered cautiously.

"That's really cool. I don't know many people who've skipped grades before." Bonnie answered.

"Me either," Elena agreed. "Come on, let's go find Caroline."

"Caroline?" I asked.

"Our other friend. I'm sure you'll like her," Elena said.

"Okay. Do you want me to help hand out any of the programs?" I offered.

"Thanks!" Elena said and handed me part of her pile.

The three of us walked towards the center of the park, each handing out the papers to passer-byres. We reached a concrete bench and we stopped. I looked around at the people surrounding it and recognized a two people; Matt and Tyler. Great, the two people who didn't like me.

The blonde of the group handed me a candle stick and touched hers to mine, lighting it up. "Hi! I'm Caroline. You must be Aisling, right?"

"Mhm," I replied with a smile.

"Watch out Caroline, that girl is dangerous." Tyler bated.

I looked over at him and glared. I still didn't like him or his attitude. "You deserved it."

"What did he deserve?" Caroline asked, looking between Tyler and me.

I bounced my shoulders up and down and frowned. "He was being a pig and so I kicked him."

"Yeah, right in the crotch!"

"You probably deserved it." Caroline replied.

I looked over at Matt and noticed that he was looking away from the group. I followed his gaze and saw Elena and Stefan standing together, him standing beside her. They seemed to be lost in their own world, talking about something. Turning back to Matt I saw that he had an upset and longing expression. Did he have feeling for Elena?

"Hey Matt." I said and stepped closer to him.

"Hey." Matt responded without looking at me.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier."

"Sure, no problem."

"Are you going to look at me? It's kinda rude to not look at someone when they're talking to you..."

Matt tuned to glare at me, "I-"

"Ah, gotcha!" I said with a laugh and lightly pushed his shoulder. "But seriously Matt. I'm sorry. I don't usually blow up like that and I feel really bad."

"It's alright, apology accepted." He said with a smile.

"Thank you."

I turned towards Caroline, "Who is Elena talking to?" I asked.

"Stefan Salvatore, the other new student. Elena went over to his house earlier and invited him. She's got the hots for him."

I nodded and turned back to look at Elena and Stefan. "I see..."

Caroline pulled on my sleeve, "Look up Ashe! It's the comet."

I tilted my head upwards and searched for the burning ball of snow and ice that was passing over us. It wasn't hard to miss, it being rather large. It shot quietly through the sky. A smile formed on my lips as I watched it go by. I silently made a wish that I would find some sort of evidence or clue that would help in my search. Then I internally whispered a prayer to my mom.

"Aisling, come one. We're going to the grill to have a few drinks and some food." I looked back down to as the group started to walk off. I hurried to catch up and followed them through the crowd of people and into the grill.

Immediately after taking one step into the building, the hairs on my arms pricked up. I could tell that something was off, and as the feeling grew I watched as tiny goose-bumps formed on my arms. I continued with the group towards one of the free tables and took a seat. I took a quick scan of the room but nothing stood out. I was sure that something was off and that I had to be on the lookout.

"Where did you say you moved from?" Caroline asked, bring my attention back to the people surrounding the table.

"Florida," I answered.

"Wait. Didn't you say New York?" Bonnie asked, eyebrow raised.

I swallowed hard. Shit I hadn't remembered my previous answer. What to say. What to say. "Yeah, I moved from Florida, to New York, and then to here. My mom got transferred temporarily to do some substituting since she was a teacher. Over the last two years I've moved three times. Once was briefly to Canada, Vancouver to be exact."

"I hear its nice up there," Elena pitched in.

I nodded, "Very green and-."

"Hey, has anyone seen Vickie?" Jeremy asked, storming towards the table.

"You're her stalker. You tell us." Tyler bated.

"I can't find her." Jeremy looked truly worried.

Tyler scoffed, "She probably found somebody else to party with. Sorry, pill pusher, I guess you've been replaced."

"What's with the pill pusher?" Elena asked, face scrunched in confusion.

Tyler had a large and evil grin on his face, "Ask him."

"You wanna do this right now?" Jeremy asked, placing his hand on the table.

Elena turned to look at Jeremy, eyes narrowed. "Are you dealing?"

"She's never gonna go for you."

Something in Jeremy snapped, "She already did. Over and over and over again."

"Yeah, right."

"You slept with Vickie Donovan? I mean, Vickie Donovan slept with you?" Caroline asked, clearly amused by the idea. I turned to look at Elena, and she was glaring daggers at Elena - she was clearly not enjoying this conversation.

"There's no way." Said Tyler, shaking his head.

Jeremy leaned forward, eyes narrowed, "And I didn't even have to force her into it."

"What the hell is he talking about, Ty?" Matt asked, turning to Tyler.

Tyler leaned back in his chair and squirmed in his seat. He looked like he got caught red-handed. "Nothing, man, just ignore him, he's a punk."

"You know what, how about all of you shut up and help me find my sister?"

"We'll check the back." Bonnie said, pointing at Caroline and herself.

"I'll check the square." Matt turned and headed to the door.

"I'll come with you," offered Jeremy.

Elena shook her head and grabbed her brothers arm, "Oh no. You're coming with me."

I hopped off my chair and hurried after Matt, "Hey Matt, wait up! I'll come with you."

"Thanks Aisling."

I shook my head, "It's not a problem. If I had a missing sister I'd hope that someone would do the same."

He nodded, "Lets go back to square where they held the comet party."

I followed Matt, having to jog to keep up with his long strides. He was walking fast, anxious to find his sister. I looked around at the remaining stragglers as we walked through the park. '_Wait, I don't even know what Vicki looks like..._' I thought to myself, '_I'm going to be a big help._'

"Hey!" Matt called out. I looked over at person that Matt had flagged down. Stefan Salvatore. I had seen him talking with Elena earlier and I wondered why he hadn't been at the girl with her.

"Have you seen my sister?" Matt asked.

Stefan shook his head, "No sorry."

Matt sighed, "I can't find her. She's missing."

"I'll keep an eye out for her," Stefan said, assuring Matt before turning to walk away. My eye locked with Stefan's briefly, and a familiar, yet uncomfortable, feel raced up my back. There was something about Stefan, something... He couldn't be. Could he?

"Hey." Matt called out, making Stefan turn back around, "I saw you at the hospital yesterday."

Stefan stopped, looked from me to Matt, and then slowly walked forward. "Did you?"

"What were you doing there?"

"Visiting."

"Visiting?" Matt copied. "You know, Elena and I, we've known each other for a long time. We might not be together right now, but I look out for her. And I'll always look out for her."

Stefan remained quiet for a moment before excusing himself. Matt cocked a brow and turn to me, "He's one strange guy."

I nodded. "Come on..." Matt said, starting to walk again.

I looked over my shoulder and watched Stefan walk away. I had a feeling I need to follow him, to see if my suspicions were correct. "I'm going to go look this way," I called out, getting Matt's attention. "We'll cover more of the square this way."

Matt nodded and continued on his way. I turned and cautiously followed Stefan, making sure that he wouldn't see me. Ducking behind a car, I peeked out and watched as Stefan jumped from the group and up onto the roof of a multi-story building. "Hmm," I said to myself when my suspicions were confirmed. "Vampire..."

On top of the building, that Stefan had just landed on, was two figures. One seemed to be man-shaped and the other was teenage girl-shaped. That had to be Vicki, but who was holding her on the edge of the roof? I quickly looked around me and scurried across the deserted road.

I had to figure a way onto that roof. If Stefan was a Vampire, then maybe the other guy was too. Which meant that either of them could easily be the one I was looking for. At the back of the building I found a fire escape but the ladder was retraced. Thankfully the dumpster was right under it. I cautiously climbed onto of the metal bin, arms out to stable myself, and I looked up. "Thank goodness for that one gymnastics lesson I got."

I braced myself and jumped, reaching up grabbed the bottom rung of the escape ladder; just barely reaching it. "Why did I have to be born short?" I said allowed.

"Eep!" I shrieked as the ladder lowered itself and my feet touched back onto the ground. "Well that was easy."

I raced up the ladder and then up the metal escape stairs. I quickly glanced down at my feet as I raced up the stairs, then suddenly I ran full tilt into someone who was coming down the stairs. We crashed into each other, and we ended up falling and rolling down the metal stairs of which I had just ran up. I lay sprawled out on one of the metal landing that connected the top of one set of stairs to the bottom or another.

I let out a grown of pain as I gingerly touched my forehead. I pulled my fingers away and they were wet and stick. "Great..." I choked out as I pushed myself up and looked over at the body beside me.

I scooted over towards the girl, "Hey." I said and pushed at her arm.

Thankfully I got a groan, "What happened?" The girl asked as she turned her head to look at me.

"Are you Vicki Donovan?" I asked.

She nodded. "Great! I got to get you back to your brother."

I pushed myself up, whipping my hands on my pants. I looked up the flight of stairs I had just rolled down to check if anyone was following her. "Who were you up there with?" I asked, wanting to know who the second guy besides Stefan was.

"I don't know, and you're asking too many questions." Vicki whined as she pushed herself up. Damn, I swore internally, I'd have to figure it out another time.

I grabbed her arm and helped her stand up. "Sorry 'bout that. I wasn't watching where I was going."

I directed Vicki down the stairs. "What were you going to the roof for?" She asked.

"I uh, saw you from the street. I was trying to get to you in time. Thankfully you came down yourself."

"Yeah. I must have taken too many pills." Vicki admitted.

"Come on, let's get you to Matt."

Vicki and I stepped into The Grill and Matt instantly caught sight of us. He came over to us and pulled Vicki to him, wrapping his arms around her. "Hey Matty."

"Where did you find her?" He asked me.

"I saw her up on a nearby roof..." I answered.

Matt flashed me a small smile, "Thanks for your help, Aisling."

"It's not a problem," I dismissed. Matt guided Vicki away to help tend to her open neck wound.

I turned to walk through the door but bumped into the personal walking in - Stefan. "I seriously need to stop bumping into people."

Stefan put his hands on my upper arms to stabilize me. "I gather it's happened a lot recently?"

I nodded. "I'm Stefan. I didn't get to introduce myself earlier," He said, introducing himself.

Stefan stuck out his hand and I looked at it for a moment, wondering if anything would happen. I cautiously put mine in his but nothing happened. "I'm Aisling Walker. New girl everyone's talking about."

"I know. We have history together..." said Stefan.

"Oh, right." I rubbed at the back of my neck. "I should get going..."

Stefan stepped aside and let me pass. I reached for the door and put my hand on the handle. Before pushing it open I glanced over my shoulder and looked to see where Stefan had gone. He was standing with Matt and Vicki. I shook my head and pushed through the door.

Tonight had been a bust, I was nowhere closer to finding the one I was looking for, but at least I knew there were Vampires in town. I had to relish in the one small victory I got from today. I now knew who to watch, Stefan. He was either the one I was searching for or he would lead me to them. Mystic Fall was definitely where I need to be.


	2. Searching

**Yay! A new chapter! I wasn't sure when I'd get another chapter of this story out, but last week I managed to find the inspiration and started writing. I'm really excited about the events of this chapter, some really fun things happened and some more insight to Aisling. I hope that you all enjoy it, and I'll hopefully have another chapter out soon! Thank you to my readers and reviewers; every favourite, follow, view, and review means the world to me. Thank you so much.  
Enjoy~ xoxo**

* * *

**[Aisling's POV]**

I had been in Mystic Falls for a short while now, and I was slowly beginning to fit in. Once I helped bring Vicki home, everyone seem to open up to me and most of them accepted me as their newest friend. This worked perfectly for me and I didn't really have to lift a finger. Finding Vicki was an accident. When I spotted Stefan make his unnatural leap to the roof of the building, I forgot all about Vicki. Then I found her and she took me away from possible answers. I was mad that I lost the chance to get some answers but it still benefited me in a small way - I tried to remember that.

I needed to find some clues as to why I needed to be in Mystic Falls. Knowing that there were vampires in town was a good start, but that only told me that the one I was looking for could possibly be here or that someone could lead me to the one. I had to find a way to get to Stefan. I had to get close enough to him, let him know that I knew his secret, and then ask my questions. I knew I had to be careful though. If I came across as threatening, I wouldn't last long. From my experience, all vampire lash out when threatened and it usually resulted in your neck being torn out. That did not work for me.

With all that running through my head, school was the last thing on my mind but here I was, at school early. I stepped through the opening of the chain-link fence and followed the path along the back fields. I walked along the path and watched as the sports clubs had their early morning practices. A full body shudder ran down my back and I stuck out my tongue. "I am so glad I am not in one of those."

I hurried along the path and headed around the back of the school, past the Shop Classes big bay doors where the stoner kids hung around. One of the kids exhaled a plume of smoke right into my path and when I started coughing he started to laugh. I turned around and gave him the finger and received one back. I turned forward and right away I noticed Vicki walking towards Elena's brother, Jeremy.

Vicki was saying something to Jeremy as she walked towards him and he didn't look too pleased that she was talking to him. From Jeremy's shocking reveal last night about their intimate relationship, I thought it was weird that he wasn't jumping for joy that she was with him. Jeremy peaked my interest in a weird way. I had had only three interactions with him and only two of them we actually spoke words to each other. I wanted to figure this guy out. He had threatened Tyler Lockwood, then rudely brushed me off when I tried to introduce myself, and then in front of this sister and her friends he laid out the details of his sex life. To me that was an interesting character.

I walked past the pair, then subtly turned and walked up the concrete slope. I stopped and leaned against the metal railing, situating Jeremy and Vicki behind me so that I could hear their conversation.

"You and Tyler have fun," said Jeremy in a snarky tone.

"Don't be like that. Come on. I want you to go," cooed Vicki. I let out a breathy laugh. She was playing him. Vicki was using that classic girl tone that usually wrapped a guy into doing whatever the girl wanted.

"You're not worried everyone's going to know you're screwing the stoner geek? Oh, wait everyone already knows."

"Yeah, but it's not like that anymore, so now we can be friends and just hang."

"Tell me something, was it the drugs? Were you sleeping with me because of the drugs?"

"Screw you," shot Vicki in defense. I turned my head and looked over my shoulder at the two. A smiled grew on my face as I watched them glare at each other.

"No, if there's another reason, please, I'm all ears," taunted Jeremy, face stern and daring Vicki to say anything. I turned my head to the opposite side and watched Vicki walk away. I pulled in my lip with my teeth as I tried to hid the smile on my face.

"You know it's not nice to eaves drop on someone's conversation."

I whipped around and looked down at Jeremy who was now facing me. I pointed at myself and he nodded. I leaned forward on the bars, "Me? Eaves dropping?"

Jeremy raised his brows and looked up at me with a look that said 'Come one, don't play dumb'.

"Alight!," I said in response to his silent sentence. "But that's what you get for having a conversation like that in the open."

"The usually frequenters of this area don't usually pay attention to the conversations going on around them."

"okay, you caught me. I was eaves dropping," I said with a smile on my face. "So what?"

Jeremy stood up and hiked his backpack up. "You're a strange one, Walker..."

"Walker? But my name is A-." My sentence trailed off as Jeremy walked away. He did a backhanded wave, and then stuck his headphones back into his ears. I sighed and pulled against the railing, my hands griping the railing as I leaned backwards. I pursed my lips and scrunched my nose before sighing and pulling myself up again.

"Hey," greeted one of the stoners to my right and he nodded his head towards me.

"Ew. No." I replied. I turning and walking away from the stoner pit. I pulled on my sleeve and brought it up to my nose. "Ew, now I smell like smoke. Great!"

I came around the corner and walked in to the school through the side doors. I made my way through the crowded school hallways and went to my locker. I put in my locker combo and grabbed the latch when a piece of paper was slammed against my locker door. "What's this?" I asked and grabbed the paper.

"Cheerleading," announced Caroline. "We're friends now and all my friends must be on the squad with me."

"Is the teams here even good enough to have a cheer squad?" I asked while reading over the paper.

"Um, yeah! We're the best."

"I'm sorry Caroline. It's not really my thing," I explained while shaking my head. I held out the paper so that Caroline would take it back.

"Come one Ashe, you have to join us. It will be some nice girl bonding time for Elena, Bonnie, You, and me."

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Fine. I'll join you're stupid cheerleading squad."

"Yay!" shouted Caroline, jumping up and down, and clapping her hands.

"But If I accidentally knock over your tower of girls because of my lack of body coordination, don't come crying to me," I said and opened my locker, shoving the paper inside.

"Don't worry. I'll have you in tiptop condition in no time. Maybe we should have extra sessions, you and I. That way we can work on your cheer skills. You'll be far behind everyone else and my team needs to be the best."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my history text book. "The regular meetings will be just fine, Caroline. I'll catch on quickly."

Caroline nodded, "Alright. We meet today!"

I waved good-bye to Caroline and headed to history class. I couldn't believe that I had agreed to join cheerleading. It was the last thing I wanted to do. Ever. But as they said 'There is always a first for everything'.

**[Matt's POV]**

I positioned myself so that I could catch the football that was racing towards me. I accepted the ball into my hands and wrapped it into my arms. I threw the ball back to my partner and waited for him to send the ball back.

"Look there's Elena and her new boyfriend," teased Tyler. "Now, what are they doing? Oh, they're walking, walking, walking. Yep. Right into the sunset."

"You're a dick."

Tyler smiled at me. "While you just stand there looking like one of those little yard trolls."

I caught the ball, and then turned and looked at Tyler. "Gnomes."

"Uh huh. Hey you've talked to that girl _Eyeshleen_ right?" Tyler asked.

"You mean_ ASH-LING_. And yeah, what about her?" I answered and threw the football back.

"What a weird name. Who has a name like that?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"Anyways, what do you think of her? She's pretty cute right?" Tyler asked, eyebrows moving up and down.

"I guess. I don't know if she's your type though."

"Why not?"

"She just doesn't seem like it. Besides, aren't you with my sister, even though that's weird to think about."

"Yeah. I mean, I think so. She's been acting weird since she was attacked. I was trying to be nice and give her space but I think she's just running to baby Gilbert."

"Ty, that's Elena's brother. Be nice."

"Fine, but if he acts like a little shit then I'm not going to take it."

"Fine. Just try."

Tyler nodded towards Stefan and Elena. "What am I suppose to do, Ty?" I asked. "She made her choice."

"Hey, maybe you can go for Aisling. You know, the new girl and the jock."

I nodded and rolled my eyes, "Right. Okay."

"Fine. If you really want Elena back, let her know she made the wrong choice." Tyler grabbed the sailing foot ball, wound up his arm and shot the ball towards Stefan.

"What are you doing? Ty, don't." I yelled. "Ty, don't! Ty! Don't!"

We watched as Stefan caught the ball just before it the back of his head and he launched it back towards Tyler. He fumbled as he caught the ball and glared at Stefan. I gave Tyler a look before turning and walking away. I knew that Tyler was trying to help by suggesting, but I just didn't think that anything was there. I just started to like her and didn't think that she was anywhere close to my type.

**[Aisling's POV]**

I Found my seat in history class, Tanner had moved me up closer in the class when one of the students moved away, so now I sat beside Elena and in front of Stefan. I pulled out my books and looked up as Elena and Stefan fell into their respective seats. I turned in my seat so I could face Elena. "Are you on the cheerleading squad?"

"Cheerleading?" Stefan asked.

Elena gave Stefan a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, I use to be. I'm not sure if I'll join again."

"Elena, please. Caroline just forced me onto the team. Don't make me do this alone." I pleaded.

"Fine. I guess I can give it another shot."

"Thanks!"

"Alright class. Today we're talking about Pearl Harbor," announced Mr. Tanner. He shrugged out of his suit jacket and placed it on the back of his chair. "Who can tell me why Pearl Harbor happened?"

"The U.S. put an embargo on Japan for its iron and other resources, and it was Japan lashing out," I volunteered.

Tanner nodded along as I spoke. "That's not quite the way I'd put it, but very good. Who can tell me when Pearl Harbor happened?"

I looked over my shoulder, briefly catching a part of Elena and Stefan's conversation. "I can't. I'm a loner."

"Miss Gilbert."

Elena jumped and turned around. "Yeah?"

Tanner repeated his question, "When was Pearl Harbor?"

"Umm..."

"December 7, 1941." Replied Stefan.

"Thank you, Miss Gilbert."

Stefan smiled, "Anytime."

"Very well. Next, when was the fall of the Berlin wall," asked Tanner, taunting Stefan.

"1989. I'm good with dates, sir."

Tanner narrowed his eyes at Stefan. "Are you? How good? Keep it to the year." Tanner started firing off important dates and Stefan would respond with the date. " Civil Rights Act."

"1964."

"John F. Kennedy assassination."

"1963."

"Martin Luther King."

"'68."

"Lincoln."

"1865"

"Roe vs. Wade."

"1973

"Brown vs. Board."

"1954"

"The battle of Gettysburg."

"1863"

"Korean war."

"1950 - 1953."

"Ha!" yelled Tanner, leaning forwards. "It ended in '52."

Stefan looked towards Elena, brows knit. He turned back to Mr. Tanner, "Uh, actually, sir, it was '53."

Tanner glared at Stefan, silent for a moment, then looked around the class. "Look it up, somebody. Quickly."

The entire class looked around, some pulling out their phone while other just waited for someone to answer. "It was 1953," answered the guy to my right. I turned to look at him as he spoke to Tanner, and the smirk on his face said that he was happy to prove Tanner wrong.

I turned back around and looked at Stefan. I knew his secret. He wasn't good with dates because he studied them, he knew the dates because he possibly lived through it all. I needed to know how old he was, and I wasn't going to as '_how long have you been 17_' like Bella Swan. I needed to find a way to let Stefan know that I knew what he was. I felt my eyes narrow as I watched Stefan, and when he looked up I leaned back a bit with my eyes wide. He smiled slightly and I turned back around in my seat.

After school I followed Elena to the locker rooms to get changed for cheer practice. The two of us quickly changed and headed out to the field. Once we were close enough, Elena skipped towards Bonnie and they greeted each other with a hug. I followed behind a bit slower and when I reached the pair, Bonnie and I exchanged a smile and a wave. We sat down on the green grass and began to stretch out our legs.

"Oh, and you both are coming to dinner tonight," Elena announce.

I shot Bonnie a look and she shrugged. "We are?" she asked.

"Mm-hmm. You two, Me, and Stefan."

"Wouldn't we be intruding on your date?" I asked.

"It's not a date. It's us all getting to know each other," Elena explained, and turned to Bonnie, "You have to give him a chance."

"You don't like Stefan?" I asked.

Bonnie chewed on her bottom lip, "It's not that I don't like him, I just get a weird feeling from him. Besides, tonight's no good, and have you seen Caroline? I texted her like a hundred times."

"Don't change the subject, Bonnie Bennett," Elena scolded, but she had a smile on her face. "You're going to be there."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Fine. I'll go."

"Good." Elena nodded in satisfaction and turned to me, "You too, Ashe."

I smiled and rolled my eyes, "Alright. I guess I can come."

"Great!"

"But seriously. Have either of you seen Caroline?" Bonnie asked, looking around.

Elena shrugged and pushed down the cap of her water bottle. "I don't know."

"She was here earlier," I said. "She gave me the flyer for cheerleading but that was at the beginning of the day. Could she have gone home?"

Elena shook her head as I spoke. "It's not like her. Caroline is always at school."

"I'll try her again." Bonnie picked up her phone and gave Caroline another call.

"Uh... "

I looked up at Elena and turned to look where she was pointing. With its music cranked up, a powder blue convertible car pulled up to the field and parked. Inside the convertible, Caroline leaned over and kissed the guy in the driver's side. He wore dark aviator shades and a black leather jacket and he looked like he stepped out of an 80's era rock band. I turned back to look at Elena and Bonnie, brows high and head pulled back in surprise. "Whoa..."

"That must be the mystery guy from the grill," Bonnie explained.

Elena shook her head and stood up, dusting her bottom off. "That's not a mystery guy. That's Damon Salvatore."

"Salvatore, as in Stefan?" Bonnie asked.

'Salvatore?' I thought to myself. If he was Stefan's brother, there was a high possibility that he was a vampire too. I wrote him down on my mental list of vampires to look into. At first glance Damon looked like someone who could possibly do evil. Maybe I could skip right over Stefan, and instead I could just look into Damon. Now I needed to find a way to get close to him. Did I use Caroline? Maybe Stefan could still be of use; Damon was his brother after all.

Bonnie, Elena, and I watched as Caroline climbed out of the car and sauntered over to us. As she walked between us she turned to Elena, "I got the other brother. Hope you don't mind."

I noticed that Caroline had a long red and white checkered scarf tied around her neck. If Caroline had not been wearing a red tank top and black short-shorts then the scarf would have been a fine accessory, but right now it stuck out like a sore thumb. If Damon was a vampire and Caroline was hiding her neck, that could only mean one thing; He was most likely drinking from her. A wave of horror suddenly washed over me and I quickly looked over at the powder blue convertible. I locked gaze with Damon for a moment, a grin forming on his lips, and then he took off.

I watched as Caroline clapped her hands so that she could get our attention. "Sorry I'm late, girls. I, uh, was busy."

She nodded and looked around the group of girls, finally her sight stopped on me. "Ashe, I am expecting to see lots of effort okay? I'm not going to go lightly on you just because you're a newbie."

I scrunched my nose and pursed my lips, "fine."

"All right, let's start with the double pike herkey hurdler, what do you say?"

I moved to stand beside Elena, and copied the position she was currently standing in. I followed along with Caroline's chants of '5, 6, 7, 8', and awkwardly kept up with the group. I glanced around and watched the other girls, trying to mimic their movements while trying to make them look natural. I fumbled a few times and had to wait for them to come to a movement that I could start at, but for the most part I was keeping up. I looked awkward but I was slowly following the routine.

"Elena, sweetie, why don't you just observe today? Ok?"

I stopped and looked between Caroline and Elena, waiting for Elena to react. She nodded and moved to the back. I watched her walk away and Elena looked a bit defeated. She awkwardly tried to keep up with the other and to keep herself collected. I turned back around, my gaze stopping at Bonnie when I noticed she was looking at me. I shrugged and turned forward the rest of the way.

"Keep going! Okay!" shouted Caroline, trying to encourage us towards perfection.

**[Elena's POV]**

After a horrendous cheer practice, I headed home to get cleaned up and ready for the impromptu dinner I was having with Bonnie, Aisling, and Stefan. Once I walked through the front door, I kicked off my shoes and raced up stairs. I placed my bags on my bed, and walked into the bath room to take a shower. Twenty minutes later I was clean and dressed, and I quickly fixed my hair and make-up. Just as I reached the last step there was knock at the door, so I went to answer it.

I pulled open the door and smiled at Aisling and Bonnie. "Hey, come in."

They both stepped in and we headed into the kitchen. "I brought a little something. I thought I'd help feed everyone," said Aisling as she placed the white dish on the counter. I hadn't asked Aisling to bring anything, so I was really touched that she did.

Bonnie leaned forward, trying to see what Aisling brought. "Oh, what did you bring?"

"It's just a family recipe. It's nothing, uh, impressive. It's just this chicken and rice casserole dish, thing..." stuttered Aisling.

"Do I see cheese?" I asked.

Her face lit up with a big smile, "Yes, and lot of it!"

I grabbed the white dish and placed it on the kitchen table, "Great. Anything with cheese is always good."

I noticed a slight blush on Aisling's cheeks. "I hope you all like it," she said.

"I'm sure."

"Enough about food or I won't be able to wait till Stefan gets here to eat," stated Bonnie.

"Alright," I said with a nod. "What should we talk about?"

Bonnie let you a sigh before talking. "I know you think Grams is off her rocker or something."

I gasped dramatically, "I never said that..."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Okay, but I really think something's going on with me."

Aisling tilted her head and looked between Bonnie and me, "What's going on? I'm lost."

"Bonnie here thinks she is psychic. Her Grams tells her she's a descendent of the Bennett witches in Salem."

"Oh, a Bennett witch. Do you ride a broom at night and go look for men to torment?" teased Aisling.

"Ha ha, very funny. You explain this then. Last night, I'm watching Nine-o, a commercial breaks come on and I'm like, I bet it's that phone commercial. And sure enough, it's that guy and the girl with the bench, he flies to Paris and he flies back. They take a picture."

"Oh, come on," I said with a laugh. "That commercial's on a constant loop."

Bonnie crossed her arms. "Fine. Well, how about this? Today I'm obsessed with numbers. I keep seeing three numbers: eight, fourteen, and twenty-two. How weird is that?"

"Maybe we should play the lottery," I offered, trying to keep my face straight.

"Or maybe the casino. Quicker than the lottery," offered Aisling, who was also trying to not start laughing.

"Have you talked to your grams?"

"She's just gonna say it's because I'm a witch. I don't want to be a witch."

"Hey!" exclaimed Aisling, bottom lip pushed out and a frown on her face. "Witches are great. Look at Glinda from the Wizard of Oz. She got Dorothy home."

Bonnie shook her head, "Do you want to be a witch? I don't want to be a witch."

"Okay, serving spoons," I muttered aloud as I pulled open drawers. "Where are the serving spoons?"

"Little drawer on your left," predicted Bonnie.

I pulled open the drawer and held up two serving spoons. "Ok, so you've been in this kitchen like a thousand times."

"Yeah, that's it."

"Good guess though," Aisling said with a supportive smile.

The three of us turned towards the kitchen entrance when the door bell rang. I smiled largely, clasped my hands together, and nodded. "Okay, he's here. Don't be nervous. Just be your normal loving self."

I patted Bonnie on the shoulder and headed to answer the door. I flung the door open forcefully and waved. "Hey."

"Hi," Stefan greeted, and he stepped inside.

I pointed to where Aisling and Bonnie's shoes sat, "Just put your shoes there, and we're just about ready to eat. Ashe and Bonnie are just finishing up the last touches."

Stefan tilted his head slightly, "I didn't know Aisling would be here."

"Yeah, I invited her earlier. I hope that's okay..."

Stefan shook his head, "Oh, yeah, no. Of course it's okay."

"Good, because Ashe brought a very cheese casserole that I can't wait to dig into." I grabbed Stefan's arm and pulled him into the kitchen. He greeted Aisling and Bonnie, and we quickly sat down at the table, all of us ready to eat.

"Did Tanner give you a hard time today?" I asked between bites, trying to make small talk to clear the awkward atmosphere that quickly set in.

Stefan nodded while swallowing, "Well, he let me on the team, so I must have done something right."

"You two should have seen Stefan today. Tyler threw a ball right at him, and-"

"Yeah, I heard," said Bonnie, sounding annoyed.

"Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?" I offered, trying to find anything to get Bonnie to accept Stefan.

"Um, okay. My parents are divorced. No mom. Live with my dad."

"No, about the witches." I clarified through gritted teeth. "Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches, it's really cool."

"Personally, I love witches!" Aisling inserted with a beaming smile. I smiled back at her and silently thanked her for just being here and not having a problem with Stefan.

"Cool isn't the word I'd use," Bonnie replied dryly.

"Well, it's certainly interesting. I'm not too versed, But I do know that there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800s," Stefan divulged.

"My family came by way of Salem," Bonnie corrected.

Stefan's eyes widened and his brows rose, "Really? Salem witches?"

Bonnie nodded and a half smile appeared on her face, "Yeah."

Stefan turned to look at me, "I would say that's pretty cool." I smiled at Stefan, I was so happy to see that he was trying to get Bonnie to like him, and to see the effort was great.

Bonnie looked around the room and furrowed her brows. "Really? Why?"

Stefan shrugged and turned back to Bonnie. "Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and nonconformity."

"Yeah, they are," agreed Bonnie, and a smile finally on her face.

"And witches can be seen all round the world and throughout history," Aisling said, continuing the witches conversation. "I mean, in every culture there is some sort of 'witch'. Whether they're seen as good or bad doesn't change the fact that witches, and other supernatural creatures, exist everywhere. I think that's a really cool thing. It's like a weird connection that every culture has to each other."

Just as Aisling finished her bit about witches across history, the door bell rang. We all turned and looked at the front door, which could be seen from the kitchen table. "I wonder who that could be," I said and pushed away from the table. I walked to the door and opened it.

"Surprise!" greeted Caroline cheerfully. "Bonnie said you were doing dinner, so we brought dessert."

I slowly nodded once, "Oh."

Caroline handed me the cake that she had in her hands. "Hope you don't mind."

I turned around just as Stefan came down the hall, glaring at his brother. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for Elena to invite me in," Damon replied.

I turned back around. "Oh, yeah, you can-"

Stefan started shaking his head. "No, no, no. He can't, uh, he can't stay. Can you, Damon?"

"Get in here," demanded Caroline and I looked at her, unsure of what to do.

I turned back to Stefan and he looked really upset at his brothers appearance. "We're just finishing up," he said.

"It's fine. Just come on in," I said with a sigh and shook my head. Damon flashed his brother a winning smile and stepped between us. I gave Stefan a questioning look since I was confused by Stefan's reaction to Damon.

Damon stopped and turned back around, "You have a beautiful home, Elena."

"Thank you," I nodded slightly and walked into the kitchen, cake in hand. I had a weird feeling about having all these people in the house, but I dismissed it. It was probably because Caroline had crashed my dinner, but there was nothing I could do now. I just hoped that there were no confrontations between Stefan and Damon, I didn't need anything to break because Aunt Jenna would not let me have any more people over. Ever.

**[Aisling's POV]**

When I saw Damon Salvatore walk through the front door a dangerous, but exciting, tingle crept up my back and rushed through my entire body. I could feel my heart start to race as I became excited at the possibility of getting some answers tonight. Then I stopped and felt my excitement flash away. I couldn't just asked him out in the open about being a vampire or things about vampires; Both Elena and Bonnie, and in a way Caroline, didn't know that vampires existed. I also had a sickening feeling that Damon wasn't a sweet and innocent type of vampire. His appearance of black leather jacket, dark denim jeans, and black bike boots didn't project the idea of bunnies, kittens, and rainbows. He looked like one of the bad ones.

When Elena came back into the kitchen, I pushed away from the table and cleared her plate and my own. "I guess we're done eating?" I asked as I stood beside her at the sink.

Elena pursed her lips, "I guess so."

Elena, Bonnie, and I quickly cleared the dishes from the table and cleared the extra food into plastic containers. While cleaning up the kitchen, I managed to keep one eye on Damon, and I studied his movements. He and Caroling had taken up a spot on large cushioned chair and were snuggled up together. There was something about the way Damon was around her, it didn't seem natural but more like an act. Was he somehow using Caroline? That would explain why Caroline was hiding her neck. He was using her for blood and possibly something else.

After we finished in the kitchen, we all headed into the living room to join Damon and Caroline. I opted to sit on the floor since there wasn't enough spots to sit. Stefan and Elena were on the couch, Bonnie was in the left most chair, Damon and Caroline took up the other chair on the right side, and I sat on the floor on the opposite side of the coffee table. I crossed my legs under me and sat down on a pillow that Elena had given me. I looked around the room and everyone seemed to be feeling the same awkwardness that I was.

My gaze stopped at Damon and I instinctively narrowed my eyes. I wanted so badly to attack him, to force the answers out of him, but I restrained myself. I couldn't isolate these people just yet, they were my source of information and if that was cut off then I wouldn't get anywhere. I was so sure that someone in this group knew who I was looking for, I felt it creep along my arms as a tingling sensation. My witch power was reacting to someone in this room, and I was sure it was Damon; he was the only new person that I hadn't interacted with, everyone else I saw everyday in school.

I was forced out of my thoughts as Caroline started to make small talk, "I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team. Tyler must be seething, but good for you. Go for it."

"That's what I always tell him," said Damon while looking at his brother. I had a sense that what he was saying had a hidden meaning. "You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it."

Caroline nodded with every word Damon spoke, "Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today. It's only because you missed summer camp. God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines."

"I'll work with her," jumped in Bonnie. My eye quickly snapped to look at Bonnie and I was shocked to see her glaring at Caroline. I had assumed that these three girls were the best of friends, but maybe I had been wrong. "She'll get it."

"I guess we can put her in the back, and Aisling..." Caroline turned to me, and I jumped as her focus shifted to me. I didn't want to be in the Caroline hot seat. "You were doing great. Have you ever been on a cheer squad?"

I shook my head, "No, but I was on a gymnastics team for a bit. I also pick up patterns really easily. I use to copy dances from music videos when I was little. I was a lonely child and it was my only form of entertainment."

"Wow. That's so sad," Caroline said bluntly.

"You know, you don't seem like the cheerleader type, Elena." Elena gave Damon a sad, forced smile, and then lifted her mug to her lips.

"Oh, it's just because her parents died," explained Caroline. I quickly glanced at Elena and I was sure that I saw a flash of pain appear on her face but she didn't let it fully come out. "Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a blah phase. She used to be way more fun. And I say that with complete sensitivity."

I rolled my eyes. I wasn't sure about Caroline, she seemed to be the stereotypical blonde girl. Really air headed and didn't think of what she was saying to anyone. For a moment I wondered if that was because Damon was messing with her head. He had to be compelling her after each time he drank from her neck, Caroline didn't seem like she'd be okay with that sort of relationship; If you could call it a relationship.

"I'm sorry, Elena. I know what it's like to lose both your parents," said Damon. "In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die."

"We don't need to get into that right now, Damon." Stefan shot his brother an angry look.

I shifted uncomfortably on the pillow. I wasn't liking the direction that this conversation was going. I didn't want to talk about dead people. I didn't want to talk about death at all. I had tried for the last few weeks to forget about that word, 'death', but here it was, sneaking back into my life.

"Oh, you know what, you're right, Stef. I'm sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up." I looked from Damon to Stefan, wondering who 'she' was. Maybe...

"Alright, this conversation is getting too depressing," said Elena, suddenly. She quickly climbed off the couch. "I'm going to cut the cake that Caroline brought. Ashe... Bonnie. Want to help me?"

I nodded and stood up, following Elena into the kitchen. We gathered around the center counter and Elena pulled out the cake and grabbed a knife. "Okay, you guys know Caroline better than I do," I started, looking at both the girls, "There has to be something going on with her. She's not always that insensitive or blunt, is she?"

Elena and Bonnie exchanged a look, "Nope, that's Caroline. No head to mouth filter," Bonnie confirmed.

I frowned, maybe my theory was off and Caroline wasn't being mind controlled by Damon. "Ouch. I'm sorry she said those things about you."

Elena shrugged. "That's Caroline for you..."

"What about me?" asked Caroline when she walked into the kitchen.

"I, uh..." I stuttered, trying to think of what to say.

"Ashe was just asking who brought the cake, you or Damon. And we said, 'that's Caroline for you'," said Elena. I silently mouthed 'thank you' to her.

'You'll love the Cake. It's my favorite," said Caroline and she put her hand on my shoulder.

When her hand touched my shoulder I felt a sudden burning pain on the side of my neck. I winced and clasped my hand to my neck. I let out a louder, more intense groan of pain and collapsed to the ground. I was vaguely aware of Bonnie and Elena rushing to my side. I squeezed my eyes shut, my hand still at my neck, and slowly opened one eye and looked at Caroline. Then my other eye snapped opened and I noticed that there was two red line trickling out from under Caroline's small scarf. I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut. After a deep breath I opened them again and jumped when I noticed how close Caroline was now;, she was at Elena's side and was fretting over me.

"Are you alright?" echoed Elena's voice.

"Should we call an ambulance?" Bonnie asked.

The pain instantly went away, and I pulled my hand away from my neck and I looked at it, but there was nothing on it. I looked up at Caroline's neck but saw no red lines on her neck. I shook my head, "No-no, I'll be alright. I am just, a little light headed."

"Do you want to go lay down upstairs? You can go lie down on my bed," offered Elena.

I shook my head again, "No. Thank you for the offer, but I think I might head home. This might be a migraine coming on. I get them pretty bad sometimes."

Bonnie and Elena helped me up. "Do you want someone to take you home?" asked Caroline.

"No, I don't want to bother anyone. I'll just walk home, and the fresh air should help my head ache."

"Are you sure," Elena asked, "I don't want you to collapse while alone."

"Yeah, I should be fine."

I quickly gathered my things and departed from Elena's house. I put my hand to my neck again but nothing felt wrong. I sighed and dropped my hand. I had to have been reacting to Caroline's touch, I'm not sure why but I did. Was it my senses reacting to what was happening to Caroline and trying to tell me that I was correct? I was sure that I saw blood trickling down Caroline's neck and I was affirmed in my speculations about Damon. If only mom was here to help me.

I pushed away a stray tear that had rolled down my cheek as mom flashed into my mind. I missed her and she would be a great help right now, but if she was here then there would be no reason for me to be here. I took a deep breath while wrapping my arms around my middle, and I quickened my pace; I just wanted to get home.

The next day I awoke to my alarm clock buzzing and I slapped my hand on the snooze button. I groaned and rolled over, draping my arm over my eyes. I was not looking forward to today because I had to go out to the school and cheer. When I agreed to Caroline's request I didn't expect that I had to do anything other than go to the practices, but here I was, being forced to go to school on a Saturday so that I could cheer on a shitty high school football team at a shitty pep rally. This was not how I wanted to spend my Saturday.

Hours later I was dressed in a red, black, and white cheer outfit complete with exposed midriff. I tied half my hair up and put a stupid bow in it, trying to make myself look like I could be a cheerleader. I stepped in front of the mirror and checked myself out. "I guess this is the best that I can do."

I threw on a black zip-up hoodie, grabbed my bag, and headed out the door. I arrived a while later at the school and headed towards the back fields. The air was filled with the sounds of cheers for both teams playing today. There were people all around the school, walking every which way and just heading to different parts of the area. Some were running, others were grouped in tiny circles as they chatted. I carefully dodged one person as they bolted past me. Then I passed a group of people building a giant bon fire. "Is that allowed?" I said quietly.

As I came around the giant pile of sticks, I saw Caroline and Elena. Elena had her regular clothes on, and Caroline had her hands on her hips. As I got closer I started to hear what they were saying. "I'm sorry Caroline, I just can't do it. I can't be on the cheer squad anymore, I'm not the same person."

I jogged the remaining distance and stood beside Caroline, "Wait, you've quit?" I asked.

"Yeah..." Elena admitted, and she rubbed the back of her neck.

I frowned. "But I thought this was a thing us girls were doing together, at least that's what Caroline told me so that I'd agree to join."

"Elena's ruining girl time," said Caroline rather seriously.

"Look, Care, I'm sorry. I just, I'm not a cheerleader."

"Whatever." With that Caroline turned and walked away. "Aisling, be ready in ten minutes."

I turned back towards Elena, "I have to admit that I'm a little sad..."

"Don't worry, just because I'm not on the squad doesn't mean we can't be friends. We'll hang out all the time. You're part of the group now!" Elena wrapped her arm around my shoulder and gave a small squeeze.

"Alright," I said with a smile, and rolled my head. "If you put it that way."

"And hey, I showed up didn't I? I wouldn't miss your first night as a cheerleader for anything. Oh, how I remember those days."

"Thanks for the support, Elena!" I said with a laugh.

"Come on, let's go find the other girls before Caroline kills us both."

Once the sun set and night crept in, the bon fire was lit and everyone gathered around the massive fire. I stood with the other girls on the squad and watched the tall pile of sticks be engulfed in flames. Tanner stood on a podium behind the football team and started saying something about being a better team and not letting other teams beat us. I yawned and received an elbow to the ribs from Caroline. I looked up at her and she was glaring at me. I mouth 'sorry' to her and turned forward. I couldn't help that Tanners speech was putting me to sleep. I let out a automatic 'boo' when everyone else did and shook the pompoms when Caroline did. I followed Caroline's actions and not really paying attention.

But what caught my attention was Jeremy. I spotted him just as he swung his arm and his fist connected with Lockwood's jaw. I gasped and covered my mouth with my hands. I watched as Tyler charged at Jeremy and pushed him into a nearby truck. I dropped my pompoms and took off towards the fight. I ran past Elena who called out my name but I didn't respond. I ran past Stefan who was already looking over at the fight. Finally I ran past Vicki, bumping into her, and I raced towards the boys.

I jumped between them like I did on my first day at school, one hand on each of their chests, and tried to push them apart. "This is the second time that I've ha-"

I gasped for air as I felt Tyler's elbow connect with my throat and I fell to the ground. For the second time in twenty-four hours I groped at a burning pain in my neck, but this time it was real. I tried to crawl away so that I wasn't tramped by Jeremy or Tyler, but I was hoisted up to my feet by Stefan and Elena helped to keep me upright.

I heard Vicki cry out for Tyler to stop, and in my head I wondered why she was just standing there yelling at them. Yelling wouldn't get them to stop, it would just fuel their desire to fight each other. She was the reason that Jeremy and Tyler were fighting, it was all her fault. My eyes flicked up and I searched for Vicki. My eyes narrowed when I found her. "Bitch," I mumbled breathlessly.

"What did you say?" Elena asked.

I shook my head and squeaked out a 'nothing' in response, still gasping for air. I looked back to the fight that was happening at my feet. Tyler took a swing at Stefan, but he stopped Tyler's punch with ease. Tyler then took another swing and his fist connected with Stefan's stomach, but his balled up fist just bounced off of Stefan. Tyler's expression change, but he pulled his arm back once again and swung for Stefan's face. Again, Stefan blocked it with his super vampire strength.

"Jeremy, no!" screamed Elena when she noticed Jeremy pick up a broken half of a bottle, swing it forward. Stefan pushed Tyler out of the way and blocked the broken glass with his bare hand. Elena left my side and ran towards her brother. I staggered a bit as my support was pulled from under me, but I managed to stay standing.

"What the hell, Jeremy?" scolded Elena and she clasped her hands on both sides of Jeremy's face. "Put your head up, you're bleeding."

"I'm fine!" he barked and shrugged out from Elena's grasp.

Elena's brows shot up and her head pulled back a bit, "Yeah, you smell fine."

"Just stop, okay?" Jeremy yelled before storming off.

I turned my head and watched him walk away. I took in a few big breaths, still trying to get my breathing back to normal, before walking towards Elena. "You go take care of Stefan, I think his hand is cut, and I'll go after Jeremy. Maybe he'll talk to me about what happened."

"Thank you Ashe." Elena squeezed my arm before going to Stefan.

I turned and headed the way Jeremy had gone. I looked around as I walked, searching the spots covered in darkness for Jeremy. I finally found him sitting on the ground and leaning against the wooden bleachers. I quietly came up beside him and sat down. "Hi..."

"What do you want?" He asked without looking at me.

"Nothing. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine. You can leave."

I shook my head, "I don't think I can."

"Why not?" He asked, finally turning to look at me.

"Because you need a friend that isn't going to yell at you for what happened, and I'm just that person."

I noticed one corner of Jeremy's lips turn upwards, "You are, are you?"

I nodded and smiled, "I am. So if you want to sit here in silence, well then I'm going to sit here in silence with you."

"You're not doing a very good job."

"Fine, silence starts now." I made a gesture of locking my lips and throwing away the key. I flashed Jeremy a bigger smile but didn't say anything.

Then, without any hesitation, Jeremy leaned forward. I noticed his eyes flick downwards and then back up. I knew what that meant. Then in a quick movement, Jeremy's lips were touching mine. I blinked for a moment and before pulling away. I pulled my brows together and frowned angrily. "What was that for?"

"I don't know. I felt like doing it."

"You-you. UGH!" I brought my hand put and my open palm connected with Jeremy's cheek.

"What was that for?" Jeremy cried out.

"That was for kissing me while your drunk and hung up on some other girl!" I shouted. "That wasn't how I wanted my first kiss to go, ass hole."

I stood up and stormed off and as I retreated away I could hear Jeremy calling out my last name, which only made me walk faster. I crossed my arms and muttered insults regarding Jeremy Gilbert to myself. I headed towards the bon fire in search of the girls. I wanted to grab my bag and head home. I was done for the night and wanted to forget the smell of Jeremy's alcohol breath. I found Elena and Bonnie chatting and I headed over to them.

"Ashe, is everything alright with Jeremy?" Elena asked when she noticed me coming up.

I nodded, "Yeah, he's just fine."

"Is everything okay with you?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired, so I'm going to head home. Thanks for helping me earlier."

Elena shook her head, "It's not a problem."

"Oh, and if you're looking for Jeremy at all, he's over by the bleacher," I said to Elena.

Afterwards I found my bag, swung it onto my shoulder, waved goodbye to the other cheerleaders, and then started my walk home. I took a deep breath and zipped up my hoodie. I gently touched my fingers to my lips, I could still feel Jeremy lips pressed against mine. I was pissed about Jeremy kissing me but at the same time I was feeling something else, excitement. I had been honest with Jeremy, that was not how I expected my first kiss to go and I was not too please. The thing that pissed me off the most was not that the kiss had happened, but that there was no reason for it to happen. Jeremy was hurt over Vicki, and this was him lashing out because she wasn't returning his feelings. I wasn't going to be treated or used like that. I shook my head, tying to dismiss stupid Jeremy Gilbert from my mind. I was done with cheerleading and boys, and now I was determined to put all my effort into my mission of finding the vampire who killed my mother. They were here, somewhere, I just needed Damon or Stefan to lead me to them.


End file.
